Abydos – Temple of Seti I, located 145km north of Luxor, Abydos originally was the capital of unified Egypt, it is among the major most scared places in Ancient Egypt, dedicated to the cult Osiris. Pharaohs from the 1st Dynasty started to use it as their necropolis around 5000 years ago. The city became a pilgrimage place where everyone wished to have sanctuary there. The superbly carved Temple of Seti I has been a tourist attraction since 1830’s, many say artwork here is the finest in Egypt. The finest bas-reliefs at Abydos are inside the sanctuaries, though retaining much of their original colouring, their graceful lines & subtle moulding are best appreciated on the unpainted reliefs. Temple of Seti I has the famous Abydos King list, a list of the ancient kings reining before Seti himself – starting with Menes, a nebulous pharaoh with rare mentions who is considered to have been the first pharaoh of a united Egypt, & ending with Ramses I, Seti’s father. It is considered to be a complete enumeration, & therefore a precious clue for Egyptologists.

Next after some lunch onto Hathor’s temple at Dendera, located about 60 km north of Luxor on the west bank of the River Nile, one of the best preserved sanctuaries all over Egypt. Much of the paintwork inside is still intact, which is astounding the colours are so amazingly fresh after thousands of years. The temple is dedicated too the goddess Hathor & is mainly Ptolemaic in origin, the temple looks mighty from the outside, but you feel humbled once you enter the main hall. The hypostyle hall has recently been cleaned from years of candle smoke & incense soot the colours are breathtaking, & the capitals at the top of the pillars depict the goddess in her human form with cow ears! Most of the rooftop sanctuaries are still intact and you can access these areas easily. The famous astronomical ceiling zodiac is in Paris, but there is a replica in place at the temple. There are many rooms to explore & beautiful carvings not forgetting the 32 rooms in the crypt. Dendera was once a center for healing, although the sacred pool is drained so much of the structure remains to give a good impression of what the site once looked like.